The Little Things Give You Away
by kaihil lover
Summary: Four years after the defeat of BEGA, and Brooklyn is reigning as the new world champion. Hilary sets out to defeat him as payback for ruining her and her friends' life. Will she succeed or will she end up having a fate worse than Kai? Two Shot. KaiXHil
1. Shadow of the Day

**_The Little Things Give You Away_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter 1: Shadow of the Day <em>**

A slight shuffling sound, followed by some footsteps, woke Hiromi up from her already troubled sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she'd adjusted to her surroundings, they landed –almost habitually—on the futon sprawled next to hers; it was empty, with the cover neatly folded atop it. Hiromi felt her heart go heavy, and immediately, she pulled off her covers and got quickly to her feet; following the sounds that had woken her up from her sleep. They took her over to the training room, where she saw Kai sitting on his knees, zipping up a bag.

Again, she felt something twitch in her heart. He didn't seem to have been noticing her presence; too lost in his own thoughts. Apprehension was clear on his face, along with some signs of exhaustion. He'd been looking like this ever since…..Hiromi immediately banished the thought mid-way, bringing herself to the present moment. She realized what was going on and she thanked God that she'd woken up just in time to, at least, be aware of it.

"Kai?" she whispered, looking at him through the dim lights entering through the half-open windows; it was only just dawn.

Kai looked up at her voice, seemingly surprised. Hiromi thought she saw some remorse in his eyes, before he had looked away, and she sighed to herself. She knew that this would eventually happen, she'd been dreading it all along; the moment of goodbye. She hadn't expected him to stay after all that had happened; she was surprised that he had for so long. Of course, in her opinion –or each of their other friends' opinion, for that matter – nothing that had happened made a difference. He was still Kai, one of the legends; their best friend. That part hadn't changed a bit; only the way Kai was seeing things had altered. He was affected _way _too much because of that fight with Brooklyn. It had been a month after BEGA's defeat and Dranzer still hadn't come back. Kai might have won the battle, but the consequences had gotten very dire; his loss was too much personal and he was literally dying on the inside with Dranzer gone. She'd been there for Kai when no-one else was, she'd been his life-long companion; his friend. How had he repaid her? By letting her get destroyed….

Hiromi, who had seen the guilt in Kai's eyes, had tried her best to convince him that it hadn't been his fault, and that Dranzer would come back soon. He'd refused to believe her; he'd refused to let her fall into the trap of hoping… Hiromi felt powerless; partly responsible. It seemed as if her friend was slowly dyeing each day, and Hiromi and the others were being forced to watch him lose all his will to live.

"You're leaving," Hiromi stated more than asked, pain dripping from her voice.

"Hiromi," Kai, when he noticed the dismay in the brunette's expression, looked up at her, "I'm –"

"It's okay," She cut his explanation off, walking over to sit next to him. "I'm not going to stop you."

Kai, when he heard those words, blinked at her in surprise. Then, he felt the remorse return…for sure, she must be tired of trying to help him. It's not like it was working….

"I don't resent you for it either," She continued with a smile, resting her hand on top of his, "If that's what you're thinking. I know that you can't live like this."

He didn't reply. It's not like he disagreed with her.

"Just promise me, that you won't hurt yourself." Hiromi forced out a low chuckle, "You've been getting really suicidal these days, and it's beginning to irk me. I'm worried about you, Kai."

Kai sighed. Typical Hiromi; always worried about him. This was the reason he hadn't wanted to go through with this conversation; the reason he'd wanted to leave without saying goodbye. He knew, what with her current protectiveness towards him, she wouldn't handle it well; it seemed as if he'd misunderstood her.

"I'm sorry, 'Romi." He hung his head low, speaking for the first time, "But I just can't…"

He trailed off painfully. Hiromi didn't have to see his face to know that he meant every single word. So she did what she thought she _should_ do…she supported him.

"I understand," She squeezed his hand, as if his very decision wasn't killing her on the inside…she had to be strong; for Kai, if not herself. "I doubt that you intend on staying in contact?"

Kai nodded; she knew him too well. There was silence. Hiromi looked out the window, and Kai looked at her; trying to read her expression.

"What's the point of all of this?" She finally whispered, and for the first time that night, Kai finally saw that she'd given up struggling against the sadness she was feeling.

"I'm tired, 'Romi," He replied honestly, "Tired of everything. I've lost all my reasons; nothing matters anymore."

Kai sighed,

"I intend on getting away from everything connected to blading."He finished firmly, "It's hurt me in every way possible."

"That means leaving the bad," Hiromi stated understandingly, but then her expression changed, "_And_ the good."

Oh, she'd changed sides, hadn't she? That made Kai angry; she was trying to convince him out of doing this.

"Everything that's connected, Hiromi," Kai said, his voice fiercer than he had intended. Hiromi blinked at the harshness of his tone. "I have to do this, I'm sorry but I have to leave."

He stood up, just after he'd finished his sentence and Hiromi did the same. He saw some hurt in her eyes, before it quickly resolved to nothingness as she spoke.

"You didn't intend on saying good bye," Hiromi stated nonchalantly.

"I was going to tell you in your sleep, so that—"

"So that I can't stop you?" she asked, cutting him off.

"Yes," he sighed, looking away from her eyes. "I wish I could stay."

"Bye, Kai," Was all Hiromi said, knowing that he hadn't meant his last few words. Wordlessly, he picked up his bag and heaved it over his shoulder.

"Thank you," Kai whispered, his voice cracking slightly, "For everything."

Hiromi didn't reply and that disturbed him; he didn't want to end things with her on a bad note, if he was never going to see her again.

Both of them walked towards the exit; the smell of the rain was in the air. Ka turned around and looked at Hiromi for what he believed to be the last time. So many things he had wanted her to know, but it'd be better this way…for the both of them; Hiromi wouldn't want someone so broken.

"Don't forget to remember me," Leave it to Hiromi, Kai thought, to smile through the pain.

"Never," Kai said under his breath, before he couldn't take it. He felt as if he was leaving a part of him behind but he didn't know what else to do. Dranzer was his safety blanket and with her gone, Kai didn't know how to handle everything. He felt as if in his craving for victory, he had over-looked Dranzer and that was why she got destroyed. And even if she was alive, as Hiromi had insisted her to be, then she wouldn't want to come back to a wielder so selfish, anyway. He felt bad for leaving everyone, especially Hiromi, but he knew he was no good for them anymore. He couldn't blade without Dranzer, so there was no point in staying. It's not as if his moping self was anything but a burden to them, especially Hiromi.

Keeping just that in mind, he walked over to his car, opened the door, threw his bag onto the passenger seat and got in. Without even another glance back, he started the car and drove off.

As Kai turned the corner, Hiromi wiped the tears from her eyes and decided to go back inside. She didn't resent Kai, she never could and she believed that it was right what he did. Not that she thought he was burdening anyone or anything but he really had been in a deplorable state ever since BEGA got over. He was alive, but yet he persisted in behaving as if he was dead. Hiromi had been spending all her time with him, trying to make him feel better, but nothing worked. He was getting worse every day. His sleeping had been troubled. He'd often wake up panting in the middle of the night and then find himself unable to go back to sleep again. If forgetting about everything, if running away from everything, if leaving was just what it took to make him better, then it was the best choice; no matter how much it would hurt everyone else. It wasn't about them, anymore….

The next morning did not go well. The others couldn't believe that Kai had left. They thought Hiromi was joking, when they realized that she wasn't, they eventually had to face the truth. In the next few days, the Bladebreakers barely spoke to each other. After the many times he'd gone disappearing on them, they thought they'd deal with it a little better now, but it was even worse this time. This time, he wasn't coming back; and The Blade Breakers weren't sure if they could deal with that

* * *

><p>Hiromi was standing in front of Max's father's hobby shop. It was the first time after BEGA that she had visited here. Taking a deep breath, she sighed before entering. She half-expected to see Max, sitting at one of the stray chairs lying in the shop, and felt almost disappointed that she didn't. The bells hanging on top of the door rung, making Mr. Tate turn towards the source of the voice.<p>

He gave Hiromi a bright smile, "Hello dear, it's been such long time! I haven't seen you since Max left!"

"Yeah, I know," Hiromi half smiled, "I have no clue of what I've been up to these last few months either."

"How's Tyson?" Mr. Tate had visibly tensed when he uttered the question.

"He's devastated, he's stopped taking," Hiromi sighed, "He's lost half of his friends…"

Mr. Tate nodded. He made a final twist to the blade he was fixing and handed it over to one of the two kids who were waiting patiently in front of the counter.

"Thanks, Mr. Tate," The boy said excitedly, "My Zeus is just as good as Brooklyn's." His face had a proud smirk.

"I still think Kai is better," The other boy argued.

"No way," The first one retorted, "Kai lost his first match to Brooklyn, and he only one the second one out of luck. See, he even quit Blading afterwards. I heard that he even lost Dranzer." The boy kept staring at his newly fixed Zeus blade, with a fake picture of the dark bit beast in the centre.

Mr. Tate saw Hiromi flinch at the boy's last sentence. "Hiromi," Mr. Tate started, looking at the two boys, "Don't you have anything to add to this conversation?"

He looked up and gave Hiromi an expectant smile. She bit her lip, and heaved a sigh, "No, sir, I don't,"

"OK, boys," Mr. Tat turned towards the kids, "run along now, and try not damage your blade so badly next time, otherwise I might not be able to fix it."

"Bye sir, bye lady…" The two boys chorused and ran out of the shop.

"It has been 2 months," Mr. Tate turned towards Hiromi once the door was shut, "have you heard anything from…?"

Mr. Tate, when he saw Hiromi's ghastly expression, found it better not to finish his sentence, "Never mind."

"Yeah," Hiromi breathed, her voice almost muted, "He had someone call at the dojo to inform that he had reached Russia alive, and to not worry since he intended on staying alive."

Mr. Tate just nodded, not knowing what to say.

"At least I know that he doesn't intend on hurting himself," Hiromi muttered, "Though he seemed pretty suicidal when he was here."

"I'm sure Mr. Dickenson informed you of the preliminaries," Mr. Tate started in an unsure tone, leaving the uncomfortable subject.

"I know, this year there will be no teams, only one person will win the accursed title," Hiromi's voice was tinged with bitter resentment.

"You're still not fond of the game are you?" Mr. Tate suppressed a chuckle. Hiromi just glared at the man.

"I'm sure you know that Kai wasn't very fond of Beyblading either," Mr. Tate smiled a knowing smile.

"And that relates to this situation, how?"

"Well dear, did you come here with the intentions of just saying 'hi' to me?"

Before Hiromi could answer, the two of them heard the tinkle of the bell and the sound of the door opening. A little girl entered the shop. She wanted to return a new Dranzer blade she had bought last week and get it replaced by a Zeus one. As soon as Hiromi heard her request she let out an audible groan, the murderous glint in her eye was evident to both Mr. Tate –who let out a chuckle, earning a glare in response–and the girl.

"Hey kid," Hiromi began impassively, "Why do you want to get your blade replaced?"

"Everyone says Zeus is the best blade there is," The girl said, her dark brown eyes beaming, "Brooklyn is the greatest blader ever, he even defeated the Bladebreakers. I don't think they are that good. I mean, they were at a time, but it's about time they retired. Their coach didn't even know how to blade. It was a miracle how they defeated BEGA. It's sad, actually, BEGA was doing a lot of good but I heard that the poor owner even ended up in jail." The girl finished, oblivious to whom she was taking too.

_Poor Boris, indeed!_ Hiromi looked at her with skeptical eyes. _If only you knew, how much all of us had to go through!_

"Good for you, kid," Hiromi mumbled.

The girl, who seemed to be only a few years younger than Hiromi herself made her way to the door, she turned around. "You know something; I even heard that Brooklyn had the highest chance of winning the tournament this year."

"Thanks for the news," Hiromi said in a mordant voice.

"You're turning into Kai you know," said Mr. Tate, disapprovingly, as the young girl left the shop.

"Like I care," Hiromi retorted.

Mr. Tate decided to move on from the touchy topic. "Has Kenny been staying at…?"

Before he could finish his sentence, "Yeah, he is, he's been spending his entire time on his studies."

"I see," Mr. Tate affirmed, nonchalantly.

Hiromi sighed, "It's just me and Tyson, and since Tyson has isolated himself, so it's just me."

Mr. Tate just nodded, not knowing what to say. He too felt sorry for his son and his friends; they had sacrificed too much and had ended up with very little to account for it.

"When Kai showed up for BEGA," Hiromi started, "I thought that things would get better. I thought the team would get back together, that everything would go back to how it was before last year's tournament. But everything took a free fall for the worst."

Hiromi stopped and things remained silent for a while.

"Who are you going to get to teach you?" Mr. Tate asked out of the blue.

Hiromi went wide eyed. "How did you…?"

"I expected that you wouldn't stand for such affronts for your team." Max's dad smirked, "It surprised me that you didn't say something to those kids back there."

"I've always been all talk, this time I want to prove myself!" Hiromi said, some of her old determination back, "I know what everyone says about me, they look down upon me and, so, I intend on proving myself."

"You're going to learn yourself." Mr. Tate stated more than asked.

"I intended on learning after BEGA anyways," Hiromi recalled, smiling at a certain memory, "I didn't have any intentions of tournaments, just curiosity, though the intentions now are mostly revolving around the championships. I don't intend on asking anyone, the greatest bladers of history happen to be my best friends, but I can't ask them, so, I intend on learning myself."

"I doubt if your aspiration is the championship title?" Mr. Tate inquired, though it sounded more of a statement again.

"Please!" Hiromi snorted, crossing her arms across her chest, "my life –_and_ my friends–are miserable because of that title."

"So," Mr. Tate smiled enthusiastically, "What kind of blade, what shaped launcher, I doubt you would want a Zeus blade."

Hiromi smirked, "I think after spending so much time with the guys I can build my blade. I just need the parts."

Mr. Tate nodded. He started looking through the boxes which were piled neatly against the wall behind the counter.

"I reckon that you don't intend on telling your team mates,"

"No," Hiromi denied, apathetically, "I don't think that they'd care what I plan on doing, anyways."

"Well, I doubt that,"

"I believe that you are mistaken then."

Mr. Tate packed all of Hiromi's parts in box and handed them to her. Hiromi smiled to herself, glancing at the package in her hands.

"I had thought of my first time of buying a blade, and first time practicing, to be quite different than this."

Hiromi got no reply, and when she spoke again, her voice reflected every ounce of pain she was feeling,

"I guess I have a lot of things to prove…" Hiromi trailed off; she was almost slumped on the chair she was sitting. "To myself; the team, the other teams, my friends, kids associated by blading… Kai…" She said the last name so softly that Mr. Tate barely caught it.

"I'm sure your friends would be proud…"

Hiromi snapped out of her thoughts, and gave out a forced chuckle, "Thanks again, Mr. Tate."

"Best of luck, dear,"

"I'll need more than luck to be as good as Kai and Tyson, and apparently Brooklyn."

"Oh, I don't know," Mr. Tate began casually, "Kai always regarded you as the kind of person who managed to accomplish whatever she tried. You managed to convince him not to quit, and did it by earning his trust, that sure is something. I'm sure in time you'll be better than Brooklyn if not Kai or Tyson…"  
>"I couldn't convince him not to switch…" Hiromi argued, "Or to not go overboard with Brooklyn, or not to quit blading. I couldn't even convince him not to leave, even though I knew that it'd break the team apart, if he did. I was right, turns out."<p>

She drew in a deep breath. Mr. Tate didn't answer; he just looked at Hiromi with sympathy. This did not look like the intrepid and confident girl that his son was best friends with.

"Goodbye, then." Hiromi gave a small wave, and without another word, she walked out of the shop.

* * *

><p>"Ugh," Hiromi groaned in frustration. This was the first time she had started training and she was doing miserably to say the least. Her launches were even more worse than the time when she'd tried to launch at the bus. And, to cover up for her mistakes, she'd decided to train during the dark hours; when no-one would recognize her.<p>

Right now, it had been four hours. She hadn't been able to launch decently a single time. Once again, she wondered if she'd have done better with Kai around; after all, he'd agreed to help her, hadn't he? She smiled as she remembered a while before last year's championships; Kai had seen her trying to launch Dranzer.

_**Flashback:**_

_It was after dark and all the Bladebreakers were inside the dojo watching videos of past tournaments. Hiromi had been sitting outside fixing the guys' blades as she waited for Kai to return; he'd been gone all day. When she was done, she began to watch the mesmerizing sunset; soon, it got dark, and Hiromi started to feel bored, just waiting around for her slate-haired friend. Her eyes, slowly, drifted to the blades resting beside her and she had this sudden desire to launch a blade. She'd always wanted to see why everyone was so addicted to it._

_So, curious, she picked up Dranzer; Kai wasn't here so what was the harm? She moved to the back of the dojo, till she was out of the guys' view from the window. When she'd launched Dranzer, however, her excitement turned to bitter disappointment as the blade landed on the grassy ground, revolving for a few seconds before halting immediately._

_She heard someone chuckle from behind her, as soon as she bent down to pick Dranzer from the floor, making her tense up; she knew that voice all-too well, though she had barely ever heard it. She bit her lips as she turned around, nervous; Kai wouldn't be happy._

"_You know," Kai said, still smirking in amusement as he walked over to her, "you could have asked me to help you,"_

_Hiromi looked at him in astonishment. "You're not mad I used Dranzer?"_

"_No," Kai relied, nonchalantly._

_Hiromi still looked nervous, Kai noticed this and smiled. "I won't tell the others."_

"_Thanks," Hiromi mumbled, fiddling with her fingers._

"The_ championships are going to start soon," Kai started in a thoughtful tone, "and they'll be over in a couple of months. How about, I help you train after they're over?"_

_Hiromi's eyes widened, she was expecting him to blow up on her, not for him to volunteer to help her._

"_Really?"She asked, childishly and Kai just nodded, watching her eyes light up._

"_C'mon, let's go inside," Kai smiled, "And can I have Dranzer back?"_

_Hiromi realized that Dranzer was still in her hand. She walked over to Kai and handed Dranzer to him._

"_Sorry, for not asking you," Hiromi mumbled, as they walked back to the dojo._

"_Just tell me that you're using her next time," Kai shrugged._

"_Thanks Kai,"_

_She pecked him on the cheek, and ran off, leaving behind a wide eyed Kai, to stare at her advancing form._

Hiromi smiled at the memory and at the irony of it. Neither she, nor Kai could have ever imagined at that point, how much things would change when the championships would come around. Hiromi reluctantly faced up towards the sky, noticing it had started drizzling.

She wondered if someone was up there, who'd listen to her prayers. She had never felt so alone in her life; three of her best friends had fled from the country – with no intentions of returning– as if they were criminals. The two who were here had decided to stay in isolation. As for people whom she knew from class, they had begun to shrug her off ever since she had joined the Bladebreakers, out of jealousy, you can suppose. They were more than happy to see the girl they envied, in state of abandonment. This new found solitude was another reason for her to begin blading; she had no one to spend her time with. She felt desperate and helpless and was beginning to doubt having faith that things would get better.

The rain became more intense, the fog thicker. The thunder was roaring. She had never been fond of thunder, but she couldn't leave. Tyson and grandpa would be worried but she'd have to lie about where she was. It was wrong; she was old enough to know that hiding her training was something that would trouble the others, yet she was young enough not to care about it. She'd decided on telling them… eventually.

Picking up her blade from the muddy ground, she fixed it in her launcher and tried again; it stopped spinning a second after it had hit the ground. She yelled in frustration, before trying once more, only to fail again.

This continued till midnight; she launched and she failed. Doubt was beginning to cloud her mind, and she wondered insecurely if she'd ever be able to defeat Brooklyn, if she couldn't even _launch_ her blade after so many hours of practice. The drizzle had turned into a violent storm, making her soak so much that her cloths clung to her figure. She felt scared, somewhat, as she realized that there was no-one in the park but her. Yet, stubborn as she was, she'd shrugged the fear off just like she kept ignoring her cell as it rung constantly in her pocket. Tyson was worried, and he kept calling her. She had texted Tyson, to let him know she was going to be late but the cell just kept buzzing after every few minutes anyway.

Launching her blade for what she decided would be the last time that night; she started to head over to the bench, where she had placed her stuff. She was shocked when she didn't hear the blade whirl to a stop after a few seconds.

"Finally!" Hiromi yelled at the top of her lungs, barely being able to control her joy. She kept jumping up and down in excitement; the blade was finally in her control! It spun for almost ten minutes and Hiromi even managed to make it do a few zigzag turns, before calling it ends for the night.

Hiromi, as she sat on the swing to rest a bit before going home, just looked at the blade in her hand; still grinning from ear to ear. The rain had now turned back into a drizzle and you could see the stars shining in the night sky. Hiromi finally felt happy after a long time and after about an hour of rest, she made her way back home.

* * *

><p>For the next few months, Hiromi spend all her time after school, practicing. She trained in the park at night, and the daylight hours were spent training in the old warehouses where the saint shield's used to stay. She even did her school work there.<em> Back when we were all together!<em> Her mind had reminded her the first time she had entered the place.

As Hiromi begin spending more and more time practicing, Grandpa and Tyson started growing more and more worried. They both knew that Hiromi had taken the team's –especially Kai's– leaving very seriously, and they were worried that she might start indulging into activities she'd regret. She'd always been hot headed and they were really worried about her behavior. She was barely ever home. She came late at night and would leave early in the morning just after sun rise.

Tyson, as her behavior got more mysterious and sneaky, decided to talk to her one time. Needless to say, the talk turned into a very heated argument in a matter of a few minutes, both of the teens accusing each other for their actions.

"You are barely ever home!" Tyson snapped, when Hiromi had told him that wherever she was going, was none of his concerns. "I've talked to all of our classmates and you're not staying with any of them!"

"Tyson, you are not my mom!" Hiromi snapped back. "I can handle myself!"

"What have you been doing alone for the past 6 months anyways?" Tyson asked warily.

"Are you doubting me?" Hiromi said disbelievingly.

"Well, maybe," Tyson said tersely, "I am upset about everyone leaving too, but that doesn't mean I'm indulging in inapt activities."

Tyson had never been good at serious stuff, and confronting Hiromi was not something he was looking forward to. But he had been extremely worried about her off behavior lately. Hiromi, who knew his intentions, wanted to tell him what she was doing, yet, she was afraid he'd be all judgmental like he was just being. After what he had just said, she was convinced that he didn't even trust her.

"Fine, believe what you want,"

With that she ran out of the door, her training bag slung over her shoulders, she didn't even dare to look back; too furious at Tyson to do so.

The sound of her words had unexpectedly low, but yet they echoed in Tyson's ears as if she had bellowed them. It made him feel guilty and he realized, at that moment, just how much all of them had hurt her. He, and the others, had always done what they had thought to be important. They made decisions; told her everything, but never really asked. They didn't give her opinion much consideration and yet, she had always been there for everyone… He thought about the current situation; Kai left because he couldn't take it being in the Beyblading world without Dranzer, Ray and Max and Daichi didn't believe that the team would be complete without him and left, Kenny also isolated himself as he couldn't believe where they had ended up and he, Tyson, was mourning over the stage they had ended up in as well. Had any of them ever stopped to notice how all of this had affected her?

Tyson thought of going after Hiromi, but then decided against it. She probably wanted her privacy; he was sure that she'd come home eventually. But after a few hours had passed, with no sign of Hiromi, Tyson began to worry. Eventually, when he couldn't take it anymore, he decided to go look for her. He called around the town, asking if anyone had seen her. He even called Ms. Kincaid, Mr. Dickenson and Mr. Tate to ask if they had seen her. Mr. Dickenson enlightened him with the latest news of the tournament, which was going on for the past 2 months, which Brooklyn had just won his match of the quarter finals. Tyson had pretended to show fake interest at the news, though.

When nothing turned up, he ran over to Kenny's and updated him about Hiromi's recent behavior and the argument they'd just gotten into. He felt so guilty and worried that he had almost started hyperventilating. Kenny, though, remained silent al throughout the conversation. After he had heard Tyson's explanations, he gave him a blank look; Tyson responded with an intent one.

"What in God's name is wrong with you, Tyson?" Kenny bellowed so suddenly and so loudly, that dizzy –who was hibernating –woke up with a start.

"Jeez, chief!" Dizzy whined, "Can't a computer hibernate in peace, anymore?"

"Tyson, what is_ wrong_ with you?" Kenny asked again, "Seriously! We both have been traumatized ever since the other's left, doesn't Hiromi have a right to vent out her anger?"

"Well, she should inform us of where she is," Tyson began defending himself, "Me and grandpa have been worried about her. Well, look…Ugh!"

Tyson grumbled, before running back towards the exit of Kenny's small room.

"Just help me _find_ her!"

After searching half the town for her, Tyson and Kenny, in utter defeat, finally thought of searching the old ware house. They doubted that Hiromi would be here, but it was the only place left that was, in any way, associated to the Blade Breakers. So, frantically, they entered the old wrecked up place and started searching instantly. What they saw though, as they entered the main room, made their jaws drop to the ground; Hiromi…beyblading.

Hiromi, when she heard some shuffling from behind her, called her blade back and turned around towards the source of the noise. She felt her heart stop for a second, when she saw Tyson and Kenny.

"Is that what you've been busy with, for all these months?" Tyson asked, his voice showing shock as they neared her.

"Yes," Hiromi mumbled sheepishly, uncertain about how the duo would react.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kenny inquired.

"Well, I wanted to wait till I was good enough," Hiromi mumbled again, "You can't tell anyone!" The tone of her voice got loud, suddenly.

"Why not?" Kenny piped up.

"I don't want anyone to know," Hiromi added softly. "I'm not even sure why I'm doing this."

"We won't tell anyone, 'Romi," Tyson said in concerned voice.

"Thanks guys," Hiromi muttered, "I don't know why, but I want to learn, I feel like I'm back in the old times when I blading."

Kenny sighed, "Hiromi, I believe what you say, but you think you're tiring yourself out? Maybe you should take it easy…"

"I'm fine chief," Hiromi answered.

"Hiromi," Tyson who had been quite for a while spoke up. "Does this have anything to do with the tournament ads that have been playing on TV?'_Bladebreakers have thrown in the towel, former BEGA blader Brooklyn is apparently too much for them to handle. We've all seen that in the Justice 5 tournament… It was obvious that Brooklyn had been too much for Tyson and Kai, the former champions. Let's see who'll win this year, ladies and gentleman!'"_

"You've memorized the television ad?" Kenny raised his eye-brow.

"Yes," Tyson answered simply.

Kenny and Hiromi sweat dropped.

"What?" Tyson shrugged, "It was on TV so much, that it got fed in my mind. I still can't believe everyone thinks all of us backed out because we were scared. They didn't know how much we had lost due to that competition."

Silence was what followed Tyson's words; it was just getting unbearable, before Hiromi broke it completely.

"It does," Hiromi admitted, without looking either of the boys in the eye.

"What?" Tyson asked, baffled.

"Me, blading; part of me wanting to learn _does_ revolve around all the criticism that has been going on since the team broke up." Hiromi sighed, "I guess I want to prove myself."

Tyson smiled, "You do what you think is right, 'Romi. Just don't be too hard on yourself. I'd volunteer to train you, but I know you'd like to do this yourself."

"Thank you, Tyson," Hiromi smiled sincerely before lunging herself at Tyson and hugging him.

"Aww, 'Romi, you're making me blush," Tyson joked.

"Now you two are going to leave," Hiromi said seriously, pulling away from Tyson, "and pretend that you never saw this, okay?"

Hiromi ordered them, an evil smirk on her lips.

Tyson hmphed, "Fine!"

"And try to socialize a bit, you two have been two cooped up lately."

"Oh, so now _you're_ criticizing us?" Tyson chided.

"What, you're not the only one who can get worried, you know." Hiromi defended, "I was worried about the both of you, as well."

"Fine, 'Romi," Kenny smiled.

When the boys had left, Hiromi walked over to a corner and sat down. She felt like breaking down, and to control herself, she drew in a deep breath.

_How did we end up like this?_

She wondered if what she was doing would make a difference. So, what –her pessimistic side chided – if she _did _manage to win against Brooklyn? What then? Obviously, that wouldn't change the world's opinions; she couldn't' convince any of them out of all that had happened. She couldn't even convince her _friends _out of it. Defeating Brooklyn wouldn't get the team back together, if that was what she'd been hoping for.

And then –her insides retorted once more– how, in the world, would she defeat Brooklyn in the first place? Especially without a bit beast? Kai'd tried his best with Dranzer, and had almost _died_ in the effort. She was sure she _would_ end up being dead, though, and she wondered how Kenny and Tyson –maybe even Kai, seeing as how it had ruined his own life– would react to finding out that she was intending on taking Brooklyn.

Eventually, she decided that they didn't need to know….

Calling it quits for the day, she broke off mid-thought, and made her way out the ware-house, back towards the dojo.

"Let's wait for the fog to clear up, ladies and gentleman!" DJ Jazzman yelled into his microphone.

The crowd was quiet in anticipation and excitement.

"And the winner of the match and your new world champion is …" DJ Jazzman waited for a second. The fog had almost completely cleared off and he saw the blade which had stopped. "Brooklyn Masefield!"

The crowd broke into loud roars and Brooklyn could be seen smiling an arrogant smile. The moment the winner was announced, every member of team that used to be a part of the BBA when the Bladebreakers had been champions – that is back when the teams used to participate– switched of their televisions; except a certain ruby-eyed brunette.

_Third year in a row_, Hiromi growled to herself.

Brooklyn, each year, would grow even more cocky and obnoxious than the previous one. The victories were getting to his head and he never missed a chance to sneer on the Bladebreakers. In his opinion – and the rest of the worlds, as well –his loss against Kai, and draw against Tyson, had been merely flukes. But, in reality, the reason that The Bladebreakers and other teams weren't participating in the tournaments after BEGA, was that the other teams had seen the outcome; the consequences it had led the Bladebreaker's to. They'd gone through so much because of BEGA, that they didn't have the nerve to blade again. Dranzer had been destroyed, and that had killed a part of Kai that he just couldn't seem to bring back to life; without Kai, the team was incomplete. Ray, Max and Tyson had decided that they didn't really have the guts to face each other in the tournaments again; beyblading was supposed to be fun, and they'd decided to let the competitions go by completely. The world champions had broken up; and none of the other teams had wanted to end up like that, they valued their friendships with each other too much, and had–too– decided to stick to participating in the local tournaments only.

Hiromi, right then, decided internally that. Even though– after three years of training– Hiromi still didn't have a bit beast, she decided it didn't matter. Next year, she'd be facing off Brooklyn, and she was going to win, even if it meant that she'd have to face Brooklyn _without_ a bit beast. He was going to _pay_…

She got off her bed and decided to go to the park to train again; eight months till the next preliminaries began.

* * *

><p>"Why am I here again?" Tyson asked, his voice dripping with drowsiness. He was leaning against the wall of the dojo basement, barely able to stand up.<p>

Hiromi launched her blade and gave a slight laugh.

"'Cause Ray told you to come, and convince me to rest." She finished with a smirk.

She was tired, and there was sweat covering her face; it was 4 o' clock in the morning and even though it was a school night, she still had no intentions of going to sleep. She chuckled to herself; she used to find this so annoying, the preference blading had over studies. How hypocritical of her, to do the same!

But then, times had changed. She frowned at the memories as they burned in the back of her mind. If she wanted to attain her goal, she thought fiercely, there was no room for slacking off, no matter how tired she was.

Though, Hiromi had to admit, she felt annoyed at Ray for interrupting her. He had been here to attend some culinary classes. He, and all the others, had –in the end –found out about Hiromi beyblading… though none of them, except Kenny and Tyson of course, knew why.

"Why am I here, fighting a losing battle, again?" Tyson asked; he was almost slumped on the ground. He and Tyson had learnt a long time ago that trying to stop Hiromi from training like a maniac was futile, but Ray didn't know that yet.

"You were too sleepy to actually acknowledge what Ray had asked you to do," Hiromi replied monotonously.

Why couldn't they understand that she had to do what she had to do? Why couldn't they just leave her alone, anyway? Kai always did what he had to do, and he always got away with it. Why not _her_?

Tyson mumbled something incoherent and Hiromi sighed in response. Dropping her launcher on the floor, she walked over to Tyson and put an arm around his neck before tugging him up the stairs, bemused to his mumblings. When she'd dragged him all the way back to his room, she went back to the basement –which had now become her official training room– and continued all that she thought she had to do.

* * *

><p>In her tiredness, she'd fallen asleep right on the bench while training in the park. Tomorrow, she thought, just before darkness enveloped her, was the day it would all start. Tonight had been her last night to train and tomorrow was the day that she'd been desperately waiting for, for months; the preliminaries.<p>

Restless as she'd been in her consciousness, she kept twitching equally as edgily in her sleep as well; muttering incoherent words. The last thing she remembered, before she'd found herself woken up and out of breath, was yelling out Dranzer's name. She propped up, startled. A glance at her wrist watch showed her that it was 2:30 am and frantically, she'd grabbed her stuff before stood up.

She felt tired; not only from the training, but also from all the restless nights she'd been spending. Sine last week, she'd been dreaming of Kai's battle with Brooklyn and it confused her, somewhat. She didn't know what to make of it. Was it a warning for her? Her sub-consciousness telling her that she could end up even a worse mess than Kai, if she participated? Or was it a sign that something was wrong with Kai? Surely, she began to wonder, he couldn't have tried….

Hiromi shuddered at the thought. She hadn't seen Kai in years, and she missed him everyday still. She found herself worrying about him often. Of course, she and Tyson both called at his house, though never to talk to Kai himself; he refused to come to the phone. They kept tabs on him. He hadn't done anything he shouldn't…yet, but that didn't stop them for worrying about him. He was traumatized and devastated when he left, so much that he'd isolated himself. He had no-one to turn to and if he had turned down Hiromi – the only person he always vented out to when he was upset– then they weren't sure if he was ever going to be okay.

The scenes from her dream kept playing in her mind; the time Kai almost collapsed to the floor when he was walking from the dish… and the time when she found him lying motionless in the corridor which led out of the stadium.

Brooklyn's words echoed in her mind, cutting her off from her thoughts; they angered her.

_Utterly defenseless like a little child!_

Her head was in her hands. She felt unsure of everything, despite the fact that she'd been at it for years. She decided to head back to the dojo for a few hours of sleep before the preliminaries began, in the afternoon.

She went directly to her room, upon reaching the dojo and plumped down on the bed. The anxiety she was feeling began to build up in her throat, till it felt like she was chocking; she shrugged it away. Her mind, though, kept tracing her back to her dreams and she mentally noted to make call at Kai's house soon.

Finally, when she drifted off into unconsciousness, she was at a little bit rest. Though, she kept mumbling in her sleep for Brooklyn to stop, and for Kai to come back; she felt her panic go away.

* * *

><p>Hiromi had easily whisked her way through the preliminaries and all the other matches. After all those years of getting influence from the best, and the hard work she'd put herself through while training, she had gotten amazing. So much so that even without a bit beast, she had no match.<p>

The next day, was her final match with Brooklyn. She hadn't told anyone that she'd been participating, except Kenny and Tyson, so she wondered to herself what their reaction would've been once they'd seen the skimpy, little cheerleader of some ex-champions, battle her way to the finals. She knew that everyone still watched blading, though, they never participated. It made her feel more insecure, somewhat angry. For the girl who always cheered everyone on when they bladed, no-one was there cheering for _her_.

Tyson, unbeknownst to his ruby-eyed friend, had different ideas, though. He knew that no-one had showed up to cheer her on, on her battles, because they thought Hiromi would feel a little less nervous without them watching her from the bleachers. They were all desperate for her to win, hoping that it would knock some sense into the world that was licking Brooklyn's feet. So, the next day, on her final match, Tyson had convinced everyone to fly over to Japan; he had decided that he was going to support Hiromi on such an important match, and so was everyone else. They had all been unsure about it, but scared as they were for Hiromi's safety, had decided to agree. Brooklyn could be deadly when he wanted to be. His innocence face and sweet way of talking had, had everyone convinced that he never tried to kill Tyson or Kai, but Tyson knew what the reality was; and he felt somewhat anxious for Hiromi.

Tyson, who had managed to persuade everyone into flying overseas for the match, hadn't talked to a certain friend of his; Kai. They hadn't talked for over three years, and Tyson knew that his calling now wouldn't change that. Yet, this time, he had decided to try a different approach. Kai, if not anyone else, was to be needed here the most. Tyson was sure that his best-friend hadn't yet known that Hiromi would be facing Brooklyn tomorrow, having cutting his ties with beyblading for good; otherwise, Tyson knew that Kai'd wouldn't fail at talking her out of this suicide attempt. Not that he himself hadn't tried, but Hiromi had shrugged him off for some reason. Kai would've succeeded.

So, that night, he decided that even though it was much too late to talk Hiromi out of this, she could really use some support from the ex-captain of his. He knew that Kai could handle situations regarding her, for some strange reason, much better than the others. And that's why, right now, he was waiting impatiently for Kai's butler to pick the phone up… Just as soon as he did, Tyson began his façade.

"Sir, I need to talk to Kai," Tyson almost yelled, his voice showing utmost urgency. Before the butler on the other side could respond, "I really need to talk to Kai; I'm Tyson, a friend of his from Japan. Please tell him that Hiromi's in trouble."

"I'm sorry, sir," The butler replied calmly. He then thought over what the young man on the other line had said. "What name did you say, boy?"

_Bingo! _Tyson thought. Kai's over-protectiveness towards Hiromi made him want to chuckle; still the same, he thought. He knew that Kai must have told his butlers not to ignore emergency calls regarding her.

"Hiromi, sir," Tyson said, his voice calm, despite his amusement.

The butler made him hold for a while, as he told Kai that there was a call from a certain Tyson regarding a certain Miss. Hiromi who was apparently in trouble. Kai, at first, barely listened to him – deeply engrossed in the book he was reading – but when he heard the words 'Hiromi' and 'trouble', his head snapped up so fast, that he almost got a whiplash.

Worried, he went over to the phone and answered calmly, "What's wrong, Tyson?"

Tyson had never been more happy to hear anyone's voice before. The voice of the pizza delivery guy saying, 'Your pizza's here!' was definitely topped by listening to his best friend's voice after 3 years. So, when he was over the line, Tyson launched into full-detail; Hiromi wanting to blade, her training for three years, the reasons behind her actions and most importantly, her match against Brooklyn. After every sentence, though, he thought that Kai began to sound indifferent; his stomach twisted in response to Kai's barely-interested answers.

"I thought I'd let you know." Tyson finished with uncertainty, "She's not listening to us; maybe you could…."

He wasn't expecting this behavior. What with all their history together, he'd thought Kai would be so worried about her that he would take the next plane back to Japan. From over the other end of the phone, Tyson heard a sigh.

"Hiromi is old enough to handle herself," Kai stated flatly, "There's no need for me to do anything, here. I told you Tyson, I don't want to remain in contact with anyone related to my past."

The apathy in Kai's voice made Tyson's blood run cold with anger; he wanted to hurt him right back, for just saying that.

"I thought you cared for Hiromi more than this," Tyson snapped, his hand already on the phone; ready to hang up. "I thought you cared for her enough to not let her repeat the same mistakes you made."

"Tyson–"

"Do what you think is best, Kai."

Before Kai could respond, Tyson had already canceled the call. Anger boiled up inside of him; this behavior from Kai was totally unexpected. Kai and Hiromi had always had a special friendship. Kai's care for Hiromi was evident through his eyes. He knew that Kai had decided to cut all of his prior ties, but he hadn't imagined him to act as if he Hiromi well-being wasn't even his concern.

His rage subsided, turning into disappointment. He sighed before leaning into the couch he was sitting at. His eyes turned towards a picture frame lying just next to him; it had a photo of the Bladebreakers, after they won the 2nd world championships, placed in it. He gave a melancholic smile as he looked at it. Never, at that time, had he expected that things would end up like this that all their friendships would cease. Remorsefully, his eyes traced every single one of his friends' faces, stopping over at the farthest side; almost in the background. Hiromi's arm was linked with Kai's, pulling him into the picture; a small smile was apparent on his young features.

Time, Tyson thought with penitence, _did_ change things. It seemed to have made Kai even more heartless than Tyson had thought he was capable of. More cold, more distant, more careless, more depressed, more…callous.

* * *

><p>Hiromi took a deep breath to calm her self down.<p>

_This is it! _She thought determinedly, even though that was the last thing she felt. It seemed as if she was rooted to a spot where she was leaning on, and couldn't move. It was ironic that –all her life –she had been considered as a hindrance to the beyblading world, and now that so many people looked up to her, she resented each one of them. Just the other day, a little boy had asked her for her autograph; she resented even him. She knew the reason why…

All through her time-span with the blade-breakers, she'd wanted people to look up at her for what she did; coaching the team. She was someone who'd always support everybody from the sidelines, cheering them on and encouraging them…she was always there. She recalled Kai telling her that she was the one who'd kept them together always. She _wasn't_ a beyblader. This wasn't her. The reason people looked up at her now because they thought of her as one of the best, but she wanted them to do so for what she actually was; not what she was _pretending_ to be.

Part of her knew that it was wrong for her to feel this way, but a bigger part of her knew that it was completely rational. She wanted people to recognize her efforts; this was one of the minor reasons of her wanting to take part in the tournament. The recognition and appreciation for what she was _not_ though– by so many people– didn't even scarcely compare to the small appreciation she used to get from her friends when she was their coach.

As she made her way along the familiar path towards the bey-stadium—where she could hear the crowd going wild already– she shuddered involuntarily at the memory of her last visit with the Bladebreakers here. She remembered feeling as if her life was being drained out of her when she'd entered the hallway to see Kai's broken form sprawled on the floor; his Dranzer MS blade ruptured into tiny pieces that were beyond repair, and Dranzer's broken bit chip lying just next to it.

She began to worry about the outcome of the match, just thinking about what had been left of Kai after Brooklyn was done with him. If she made it out alive, she thought, whether as a winner or a loser, she'd never take part in any tournament ever again. After all, she'd have proven what she'd set out to do; Hiromi Tatibana could beyblade. Somehow, though, she wondered why she didn't feel that it was enough; her proving that she could blade. Obviously, she recollected her thoughts; she wanted to win against Brooklyn. She wanted to defeat him as a revenge for destroying hers and her friends' lives, for his vanity and his belief that he was the best. If she wouldn't be able to win this match, she was sure she'd feel disgraced; not by everyone else, but by her own self.

Hiromi unwillingly closed her eyes against the bright lights of the stadium when she entered it; it was a contrast to the completely dark hallway. When she'd adjusted, though, her crimson orbs ran over the crowd and she spotted –almost knowingly– all of her old friends sitting at the bleachers. She'd never been the one to wave to the crowd, or be too ostentatious about her entrances –never having been under the spotlight before– so she just smiled at them, acknowledging their presence. Even though she doubted that it would happen, she almost searched around for Kai somewhere. She knew that he wouldn't be here, but that didn't stop her from hoping that he just might show up. Disappointment engulfed her as she realized that he hadn't.

She pursed her lips. One of her many reasons for doing what she was doing had been him; Kai. She knew that Kai didn't care about the fact that she didn't beyblade, but it still had never left the back of her mind. She wanted to rid herself of the complex that she was not good enough to be his friend, just because she didn't blade. Though, she thought acidly, he didn't plan on _staying_ friends with her, anyway, now had he? Apparently, he had even forgotten to remember her like she'd asked him to do…He would be here for her if he'd kept that promise.

She guessed that she was probably wrong in thinking that things would never change between them. Her insecurities, at that point, had gotten so strong that she felt almost angry at Kai. She felt as if he was partly the one to blame for the way things had turned out now. Wasn't he…?

Hiromi had to remind herself the state Kai was in, to keep herself from blaming him. She knew that Kai, internally, was still a wreck. He hadn't gotten over his loss; he'd have talked to them if he had. There was no reason to be angry at someone like that, she didn't want herself to be…

The person who was responsible for putting him in such a state was Brooklyn. She wanted revenge for what he had done to Kai… He had broken her friend and he was going to pay for it.

As she walked up to the dish, she heard the crowd cheering deafeningly on her but what made her smile was the sight of Tyson grinning at her, before giving her a thumbs-up. Every other team that she'd met back when the Bladebreakers were champs, surrounded Tyson all around, smiling at her encouragingly as they did. That gave her some strength, made her more determined and she felt gratitude towards Tyson for yet another act of friendship that he'd succeeded at.

She turned away from them, hesitantly, to look at Brooklyn; he was lying on the stand, just like he'd been when Kai had come across the very hallways she'd just exited. He got up and walked to the dish, a smirk plastered across his face.

"So, it's the Bladebreakers' cheerleader," Brooklyn leered maliciously, "that I'm defending my title against? Might as well hand me the trophy right now!"

Hiromi didn't reply; just glared at him in response. She reminded herself that seeing Brooklyn go down was exactly what everyone had been hoping for, for the past four years. She reminded herself of the pain she felt when she saw that everyone was giving up on that belief. Images of Kai's determination passed through her mind; he'd been battered and bruised, barely able to stand, but he had continued to fight Brooklyn. So much he'd gone through…she recalled the time when they'd found Kai's limp figure in the hallway, she remembered the pain and frenzy in his eyes when he'd wake up in the middle of the night after every nightmare as if the it was her own. She remembered feeling helpless….The memories were painful, but they gave her strength. She wanted to keep remembering….

_I've got to muster every emotion I've got; it's my only chance to win! _She reminded herself of Kai's words.

Once more, his memories ricocheted in her mind, giving her the determination she wanted them to give. She knew she could do this. Her friends had believed in her before she even knew how to launch a blade; _Kai_ had believed in her.

"Do you actually think that you can win" Brooklyn disturbed her thoughts, sneering still, "when your best friend couldn't defeat me?"

Hiromi felt some of her anger return, and through the corner of her eyes, she saw Tyson stand up in protest to Brooklyn's words. Though, Brooklyn didn't seem to be noticing anything unusual.

"When your little boyfriend almost _died_," Brooklyn watched her hide a wince at his words, "the last time he battled me? I heard that he even lost his precious Dranzer."

"Don't bring my friends into this, Brooklyn!" Hiromi practically snarled, finally snapping. Her hands balled up into right fists out of her rage.

"Sure," Brooklyn raised his hands, making a shrugging gesture, "we'll settle this in the bey-stadium. I hope you've learned to, at least, launch a beyblade properly; I've seen your pathetic, amateur of an imitation of Kai's already-horrendous launch…"

Hiromi wanted to lunge herself at Brooklyn and beat the crap out of him right there and then, but she calmed herself by thinking that it would be much more satisfying to beat him in the dish.

When the battle started, things started to look bad for Hiromi almost instantly. Two hours into the battle, and Brooklyn was completely fine; he didn't even have a single scratch on him. Hiromi, however, was badly injured and bruised. Her clothes were torn and her body was cut and bleeding from some parts. Brooklyn was not holding Zeus back, and the dark bit beast's power was over-powering hers…She kept swaying on her feet.

_This is not just a game!_ She chided to herself, before closing her eyes in pain. Once again, she kept all of her memories in her mind; each and every moment with the Bladebreakers, that was now history. The only person to blame was standing just in front of her….It gave her the energy. She felt her emotions surging through her.

She opened her eyes just in time to see her blade dodge another attack from Brooklyn; he seemed a little bit annoyed.

"You're better than I expected," Brooklyn sneered, "Though, still not up to my level!"

With that, his blade crashed unexpectedly into hers and the whole crowd cheered as loudly as before; they hadn't witnessed such an exciting battle since BEGA. This was all a game to them, but Hiromi's friends wanted to put an end to this battle at once. They were extremely worried about her safety and were almost on the edge of their seats in fear and anticipation. However, as much as they wanted to, they couldn't stop this battle from raging…

"Then you underestimate me," Hiromi finally said, trying hard to make her voice loud enough to be audible; it made her throat burn as she uttered every syllable.

Brooklyn smashed his blade into hers in response, and the forceful moment made her somewhat dizzy again. She started to feel lightheaded, as if she would lose consciousness any second. Her vision was getting more blurred by the minute and she was panting, as if exhausted.

_Hang on! _Hiromi muttered in her mind as she felt herself being engulfed by darkness as Brooklyn launched what he hoped would be his final attack.

* * *

><p>Kai shot up in bed, all covered in sweat and panting hard. He could feel his heart beat as he tried to think over the dream he'd just had. He felt fear, but for the first time, in many years, it was not for his own self. He knew what was going on and what will happen if it didn't stop, and that was what scared him. She was going to end up like him….even worse. He didn't know what to do.<p>

Glancing at the TV screen, Kai saw Brooklyn giving his signature smirk, as smoke covered the entire beydish. Kai's eyes widened, as he heard AJ Topper's comment.

"Things look bad for Hiromi, people," he shouted in a tense voice, "She might not make it through this battle."

* * *

><p><strong>Your friends all plead for you to stay, sometimes beginnings aren't so simple, sometimes goodbye's the only way... and the sun will set for you... hmm... and the sun will set for you... hmm...and the shadow of the day will embrace the world in grey and the sun will set for you...<strong>

**Oh, the fic is over! Hehe... Trust me as much as I love that song no one wants to hear me actually sing it, I have a singing voice which is just as bad as Ming Ming's. No offence to anyone who likes her.**

**Well, I hoped everyone liked it. I worked really hard on it. This is not going to be a multi chaptered story. I am so not going to start another one of those, I already have to finish those two which are currently running. This is going to be a two shot. I'll hopefully put up the next chapter in maximum a week. I want to put it up sooner, but I haven't written a single word except the two ending paragraphs.**

**Thank you to _Dead-by-n0w_, like always for beta reading the chapter. She fixed a lot of crappy stuff I had added and made the sentences make sense. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Beyblade', if I did, I wouldn't have killed my fingers typing this 10,000 word chapter. I would have a staff working for me which would be hanging on my every word and then would be publishing into manga editions. I don't own Linkin Park either who's song 'The Little Things Give You Away' this entire fic has been **inspired by, and also** named after, and who's song 'Shadow of the Day' this chapter has been inspired by and named after. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed my one shot '_An Angel's watching Over Me_', _Dead-by-n0w_, _tyhiltwilove_r, _Honeygirl_ (I'm glad you liked it.),_ kira lovegood_, _angelchild001_ and _cOOlzanimeaDDict_. **

**Thank you to **_ Dead-by-n0w_, tyhiltwilover, _Honeygirl_ (I'm glad you liked it.), _Aquila Tempestas_, _angelchild001_ and _cOOlzanimeaDDict_ for reviewing my other one shot, '_Never Doubt my Love_'.****

****Well, people, I hope you liked this. Please review, it'd mean a lot... ^^****

****16th July 2011, 11:00 p.m.****


	2. Waiting for the End

**_The Little Things Give You Away_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter 2: Waiting for the End<em>**

Kai stepped on the pedal, and the car started moving. Hiromi was visible to him in the rear view mirror, standing on the driveway, waiting for him to turn the corner. The street lights were dim and her outline kept fading and fading till it disappeared.

The roads were pretty much empty as Kai sped his way towards the airport. He was running away again. It was becoming a habit of his; he wasn't even ashamed of himself anymore. This time though, it wasn't about winning, or being better, or proving anything to anyone; it was about getting away from it all.

Beyblading and everything associated with it. His grandfather had gotten upset with his father because of his love for blading, wanted to take over the world using the sport of beyblading, wanted to use him to take over the world because of his talent in beyblading. Kai had been willing to risk anything to be the best at beyblading, because his father had left him for it, and because he had sacrificed so much already. He was willing to risk anything to save the damned sport because he couldn't deny the connection that he had developed with it. He was ready to leave anyone who cared about him for the sake of beyblading, had met everyone he cared about because of beyblading, people who he'd hurt and clearly end up hurting again because of beyblading. Everything in his life revolved around that one single game.

It had all started with that stupid game and he wanted to end it all; start fresh, to stop his past and present from haunting him.

The street light flashed red and Kai stepped on the break pedal. He put his head on the steering wheel.

Everything –from the day his father left to that very night when he left Hiromi alone at the driveway – kept flashing through his mind. Most of them were bad times, tainted a bit with some good memories too. He knew that if wanted to forget everything, he had to let all the memories go; the good and the bad. Forget everything because it was all interconnected into one giant tarantula web that was giving him no space to breathe or move.

He was weary of his life being this one big joke, having a completely unexpected punch line blowing up in his face all the time. He wanted to be normal, without any interferences of anyone, to do things his own way and not get so deeply involved with anything or anyone that he would lose all he had in the process. Not that there was much left to lose anymore, he'd already lost or left whatever he had.

He was tired of trying to get things to work out; it wasn't anyone's fault, not his family, his friends, his opponents. He was just too big of a mess himself. It was best to start over, and this time, not get attached to anything or anyone.

Wyatt, Hiromi, Tyson, the rest of the Bladebreakers, they'd all been hurt by his actions, Even now, as Kai sat in his car, running away from them for one too many times, he knew he was hurting them again. Leaving was hard for him, too. That's why he was ending this once and for all, this dangling from a cliff thing, his coming and going, being friends and being enemies, was something that none of them could live with. And there was no point in staying with the Bladebreakers, anyways. He was too neurotic and a big jerk to provide any friendship, so the only reason he had returned to them was because they needed a blader, because they needed a captain. But now when he couldn't blade it was pointless to stay. Even Dranzer had given up on him and without it, Kai felt as if he'd lost a part of his own self. Dranzer's protection, it being his guardian, was the only thing that had kept him going. And now that it was gone, Kai didn't have the will to move on.

This was his decision; he had wanted to do something for himself, something that had no internal motive of helping anyone else that they'd never know. He had always identified with the right choice, intentionally did the opposite, then would realize it and spend his time trying to do the right thing, which would always benefit everyone but him. His life, his perspectives and his decisions were too big of a neurotic mess too involve anyone in them anymore. Because anyone who got stuck in the web, would end up being hurt by him, or take the first possible way out; and he couldn't take another person leaving him.

The light turned green, and Kai didn't notice till the cars at the back started honking. He picked up his head and stepped on the gas. It had started drizzling and the tipper tapper of the rain was annoying him.

This wasn't as easy as he'd imagined it to be, and he hadn't imagined for it to be easy at all. But he had decided that there was no more point on dwelling on his choice, though he still wished he'd one more conversation with Hiromi.

He stopped his train of thought at that very moment and turned them to planning about what he would do. Forcing himself not to thinks of her and others, was what he had to do, then well he'd do it.

The drive to the airport was one of the most loneliest he had ever had, and he had always been alone, but for some reason the sudden emptiness in his life made him feel claustrophobic . It was that the safety of knowing that he had people to turn back to, which made the loneliness comfortable, but now that he was completely on his own, with one to go back to if he desired, he felt scared. He felt as if he was leaving a part of him behind but there was nothing else to do. It was about time he got used to it, was what he told himself, 'cause there sure was no turning back now.

* * *

><p>First day back home, Kai was at a coffee shop near Hiwatari Mansion. When he had arrived there, no-one was there to greet him, and for that he was glad, he hadn't wanted to associate with anyone. No one was there also meant that Voltaire wasn't there, and he still hadn't seen the likes of him. If he was going to be living in the same house he's have to try and keep contact minimal, Voltaire did not mind his staying, but it was clear that he was no more fonder of his grandson then he was after the Russian world championships, and the feeling was mutual on Kai's side. Avoiding confrontation with people was the major aspiration of his self-imposed exile.<p>

Kai picked up his coffee with both hands and took a sip. The liquid burnt his throat; the pain gave him a sense of reality. It'd only been a few hours since he'd landed in Russia, and he was finding it hard to get a hold on veracity. A lot had happened in the past month, it was hard to keep track of everything. He had to start planning what to do. First step would be to join high school, preferably one not co-Ed. The rest would be well, nothing. The tricky part of quitting the thing around which your life revolved and all things connected with it was that when you did, there was not much –practically nothing – left to do.

It made him laugh, the irony, Tyson had always said he would end up as a bitter old man alone with no one with him and nothing to do; he had been joking but apparently he was right. Just that Kai had ended in that stage fifty years earlier than what Tyson would have expected.

Kai sipped his coffee again, deciding to indulge a bit and think of what would be going on at the dojo. Hiromi must have already told the others about his leaving and the very thought made him flinch. He had to remind himself that this was better; this was one single dosage of pain for them, no continuous suffering like the one they'd have to endure if he'd have stayed. This time, Kai had even made sure that there was no door for him to go back through; he was adamant that he wouldn't return. Though he very much wanted to, after all it was painful for _him _to be away too, and he never would've left in the first place, but there were too many complications and staying away was the better –if not easier– thing to do.

It bothered him a bit that had he stayed in Japan, there were people to comfort him through the pain, but here he had no-one. There was an empty feeling, an unexplainable desolation inside of him; something that had just started developing when he pulled out from the driveway of the Granger dojo. He felt empty. He didn't want to acknowledge the importance of the people he had left, he was –after all– still his narcissistic self, but it was hard to avoid the feeling of nothingness, hard to hide something that wasn't really there.

At times, he wished that somehow all the problems would disappear so that he could return with neither fear, nor guilt. But this was the better choice, for both –the team and himself.

Kai closed his eyes, involuntarily took a deep breath, and got up. The café had many windows; the view of each one of them was blocked by the hard rain coming down. It had been a complete storm here in Russia, even before his plane had landed –much unlike Japan—and he was completely wet in a few moments. Unlike the sound of the pitter pattering drizzle that he had left in Japan, the sound of a full fledged storm calmed him down immensely, suppressed all other noises of the world around him; even the disputes that were going on inside his mind were blocked by the sound of the tempest.

This was the only thing he had yet experienced that made him glad to be home; the extreme weather of Russia, the glaciers, snow storms and the heavy rain were the few things that appealed to him. Right now, he was enjoying the sound of infinite number of heavy droplets hitting the concrete, splashing against the puddles. They –combined with the roaring of the gale, the clapping thunder and the lack of sunshine – created the desolate atmosphere he longed for, an atmosphere that soothed his strained nerves and mind. Yes, thunderstorms never failed to draw him out from his problems and put him at peace for a while.

Kai stood against the wall of a building watching the rain fall, after a while he decided that it was time to leave. He wasn't going to let his past haunt him, it was time to start forcing himself to work on his new start.

Brooklyn had become world champion yet again, third time in a row. Kai switched off his television, the cheering of the crowd, the gibberish of DJ Jazzman, and the cocky expression on Brooklyn's face was more than he could take. He didn't know what he felt, anger, defeat, guilt, envy, regret; a mixture of all these emotions. He was just unsure of why.

He laid his head to rest on the back of the arm chair he was sitting on. He still cared, it was blatant; it was not possible to banish from the caverns of his mind, such a huge part of his life, particularly when that part was the only thing his life consisted of. Beyblading, and every friend and enemy he had earned from it, they still haunted his mind, but till his mind was where Kai intended for them to stay.

It had been four years since Kai left, and each day there in Russia was evident in his mind. He never could adjust; he was just living for the sake of living. It was all about getting it done with. With each morning that came, it was about getting to the end of the day so he could sleep. With every night that fell it was about curtain of darkness to be lifted so the morning sun could shine, and he could stop his futile attempts of trying to sleep without nightmares of the past haunting him.

Despite each day being evident in his mind, Kai was unsure exactly how these four years had passed. In his head, he was still stuck in that driveway with Hiromi trying to make the decision of leaving. He was caught in a time loop; the moment before leaving Japan kept going on and on in his mind, the last few hours he had there…. It was partially, if not completely his own fault... In fear of getting close to people again, and having gotten done with his passion of Beyblading, there was nothing left to do but suffer and choke on the remains of a past that no longer existed, and a future he wanted to happen.

* * *

><p>"<em>You know we came here to enjoy," said Hiromi in a cheeky voice, pulling up a chair on the table Kai was sitting on.<em>

_He narrowed his eyes at her_

_"No, I came here because I had to."_

"_You are here, even if it is against your will, what's the point of letting the time go to waste?" Hiromi took a casual sip of the drink in her hand._

"_And what am I supposed to do?" asked Kai taking a look at his surroundings. It was a party for the celebration of the start of the world championships. Music was playing; bladers of the BBA were dancing and talking to each other. People associated or working for the BBA were there too, they were talking and dancing amongst themselves; their children, those of them who were beyblading fans were stalking their favorite bladers._

"Tell her not to go, I ain't holding on no more. Tell her something in my mind freezes up from time to time. Tell her not to cry, I just got scared that's all. Tell her I'll be by her side, all she has to do is call."

_"This isn't a funeral; I hear no funeral bells ringing. Get up, have fun. There are at least a few dozen fan girls who'd dance with you." she finished with a gentle laugh._

_Kai narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, that's the best you can come up with? I'm fine here then, thanks."_

"Tell her the chips are down, I drank too much and shouted it aloud. Tell her something in my heart needs her more than even clowns need the laughter of the crowd."

_Hiromi got up from her seat and Kai thought she was going to leave; he couldn't help, but feel a pang in his heart, he thought that she might stay and talk for a little while. He wanted his company for the little time that he could._

_But his assumption was wrong and instead of leaving, Hiromi walked over to his side of the table. She took both his hands into hers and made him stand up. "Fine, dance with me, then," she said in an uncharacteristically shy voice. "I think I'd be a bit better than a fan girl."_

_Kai gave her a weary look, but then let out a small chuckle. The songs kept changing, but the two of them kept dancing with each other. The rest of the night was quite enjoyable for the both of them. Bladers and fan girls both alike, were shocked to see Kai dancing; Hiromi on the other hand was more shocked to see him enjoying it._

"Tell her what was wrong, I sometimes think too much, but say nothing at all. And tell her from this high terrain, I am ready now to fall."

_The music kept playing, and they kept talking. Kai was enjoying being with Hiromi, she was one person he really enjoyed spending time with. Out of the blue he made her spin and she gave him a shocked look, but it vanished quickly and she began to laugh. It was nice to see her laugh because of something he did, instead of something that Tyson or Max did._

_He knew this was one of the last nights they had; he had made his decision, he had to leave the team. He wanted to let her know, so she wouldn't be hurt when she found out when he disappeared._

"Tell her not to go, I ain't holding on no more. Tell her nothing if not this; all I want to do is kiss her. Tell her something in my mind, freezes up from time to time."

_If not that his mind told him, he should at least tell her that he liked her, how much he liked her, so if he couldn't ever come back, she'd know how much he cared. He pulled her close to him, and Hiromi gave him a shocked look while he just gave one of his rare smiles and looked down._

_He was a coward, he couldn't tell her. He never could and never would; all he could do was cherish that moment he had, because he knew that it would be the only one he'd have._

_Kai was lost in his thoughts as the girl in front of him called out his name for the third time; he had been completely deaf to her previous callings and to this one, he was still zoned out._

"Hey, Kai," the girl snapped her fingers in front of the dual headed boy, looking irate.

Kai shook his head to clear his mind.

"Sorry," he paused for a second. "I don't dance." His statement was cold and it was obvious there would be no further arguments from any sides.

The girl walked away without another word, and Tala raised his hands in protest. He couldn't believe that Kai would be this importunate. They were at a local club in the area where Tala lived. It was not often that they met, and they only did when Tala forced his way into Kai's house and dragged him out. Though, if the only thing Kai was going to do was drink with his eyes closed, then there was no point in coming; he could stay at his home and do that.

"What is wrong with you?" growled Tala in outrage. "Would it kill you to associate with someone other than your big ego?"

"Tala, I'm not interested in associating, or starting a relationship, as you want me to, with someone I don't know. And not even with anyone I do know, trust me; I don't even want to be here," answered Kai, his last sentence laced with a lot of contempt.

"I'm hurt," scoffed Tala in a mock hurt voice. "You need to stop this. You were introverted, I get it, and you didn't_ like company._ But for four years, have you even had a single conversation with a single human being? You can't live like this, no one can."

_"Wow Kai, I could have never expected you would be a good dancer," said Hiromi, laughing as they moved to the music._

"Tell her what was wrong, I sometimes think too much, but say nothing at all. Tell her not to go, I ain't holding on no more. Tell her nothing if not this; all I want to do is kiss her."

_"What, you think I can't do anything other than Beyblade. Well, you are, mistaken," said Kai in a teasing voice and gave her another spin._

_"Oh right, I forgot, 'I am Kai. I'm better than you. I show up where I want, when I want, for I am, king of the world. Hail to the king, baby!'" Hiromi finished her imitation and smirked._

_"Right, so funny. I hope you find this funny." he chuckled, and gave her another twirl and dipped her a bit too much for her liking._

"_Jerk," the girl in his arms panted when Kai pulled her up._

_Kai just smirked and pulled Hiromi close again._

"I'm alive," stated Kai, taking a sip of his drink;

The red head shook his head; he knew well enough that his friend's mind was far away from where they were. He didn't know where.

Ever since that girl asked him to dance, Kai's mind wouldn't leave the BBA party before the third world championships, all he could think of was dancing, laughing and talking with Hiromi. Out of all the memories that plagued his mind, good ones and bad, the most dominating ones were those he had with her; he couldn't get her out of his mind, or stop worrying about how she was.

The memories were his curse, yet they were his solace. Kai closed his eyes, he enjoyed living in those little moments of joy he'd had with the Bladebreakers, Hiromi in particular.

"I don't dance." Kai repeated his previously said sentence. "What was wrong with that? I don't dance. I didn't want to dance with her. What was the point?"

"I saw you dancing with the girl in your team, Hiromi, right? Right, Hiromi. So, tell me, why her?"

"I told you, I don't dance, not that I can't when I want to," Kai frowned irritably.

"So _you_ wanted to dance with someone?" Tala raised his eyebrows and laughed loudly.

"Yes, I did, I wanted to. I liked her, or like her, which ever way you would like to put it," Kai spoke all of a sudden.

Tala choked, "_How_ could you say that with a straight face?"

"I wasn't joking," Kai's voice was still zoned out, he didn't know why he was telling this to Tala, but he just wanted to speak of the matter, he liked Hiromi, a lot, he wanted to admit it to someone….and well Tala was the only one there at that moment.

Tala's eyes widened.

"The Bladebreakers coach? You? Oh God! "

"Me! I know," said Kai, his voice sounding melancholic, shaking his head. In those few words that Kai said Tala knew what the former phoenix wielder was thinking about ever since they got there.

Kai picked up his jacket from the back of his chair and got up to leave.

"Later," he bid his friend a goodbye and started moving.

"Later Kai," shrugged Tala, in an equally distracted voice, making no attempts to stop his dual headed friend, like he usually would have, as he made his way towards the exit.

Kai liked someone. Kai actually liked someone. He actually cared about someone. Tala thought back to all the times he'd seen Hiromi and Kai interact, and it clicked to him the feelings were mutual on Hiromi's part too. So, there were two variables in the equation, and both of them must be suffering. If Hiromi liked Kai back, then she must have felt terrible for his leaving.

Peachy; his best friend fell in love, and he had to force himself to leave her for good.

Suddenly, it started making sense to him, and he realized where Kai's thoughts were all this time, and what was going on. But, for the first time, Tala decided not to interfere. It wasn't his place to do so, and even if he tried to there was nothing he could do; the only thing that could help those two, was a miracle.

Tala got up, and starting making his way towards the exit, without finishing his drink; his heart wasn't in it. He thought of Kai sitting alone in his house, and of Hiromi in the dojo and his spirit sank lower and lower. Though he wasn't directly involved in this problem, but he couldn't bring himself to be not down-hearted as he walked his way home.

* * *

><p>Kai helped himself from slamming the phone. He couldn't believe Tyson would call and ruin his not-exactly-peaceful but still livable self-imposed exile by telling him something like that. The first thing he did was head back to his own room, so he was in peace and away from prying eyes of the servants and Voltaire.<p>

There had been a call for him from Japan. Usually he would never come to the call, but when he had heard the butler say that the caller had mentioned someone named Hiromi, he couldn't _not_ answer the call.

It was Tyson who had called him and asked him to come home; first time he asked something like this, ever since Kai left. It was expected that the problem must be life or death, and since Hiromi had been mentioned to get him to come to the phone, it must involve her. Kai's suspicions, it turned out were right, it was something about Hiromi, and it was life or death. Hiromi had made it to the world championships, she was going to be battling Brooklyn and Zeus, and she didn't even have a bit beast; this was certainly life and death.

Sure, he had told Tyson that it wasn't anything critical and that Hiromi could handle it, but that was only because he didn't have any composure of his thoughts and he didn't know what he was going to – what he could do- and saying that he wasn't going to interfere was the best thing to do at the then moment. Hiromi battling Brooklyn made him panic, but he wasn't going to let Tyson know that, particularly when he wasn't even sure what he was going to do to help her.

Kai's thoughts weren't making sense; there were too many aspects of the situation. Hiromi was going to Beyblade, against Brooklyn; Brooklyn, the psychopath who destroyed Dranzer and almost gotten him killed. She made it to the finals, fine; must've trained and gotten really good to do so but there was no way she could face Brooklyn. He was not a person you could beat with your life; Kai would have ended up losing his life due to his win if Dranzer hadn't sacrificed itself for him.

It bothered him when he thought about the reasons as to why Hiromi would do something like that. Why had she decided to beyblade all of a sudden? And do it on a professional level, against Brooklyn Masefield? This involved him, be it directly or indirectly, this whole thing revolved around him. Hiromi, Hiromi Tachibana beybladed now. Oh God, this completely involved him. He might have left the Beyblading world, but he had left all the messes he had created behind and he had gotten his friends involved in them too much for them to let go when he left; apparently it had driven Hiromi to go to the root of one of his biggest mess and try to face it.

This was his fault; he had to be there to fix things if they got bad. She had gotten too deeply involved with him, him and his twisted life problems to just leave his problems and let them be after he ran away. It was his fault that he had let Hiromi get so close to him, that even after he left she wasn't able to break free of him. This whole thing was a part of him, he was still stuck in the web; even though he had physically left, there was a string which connected him to it; he had never been able to completely break free.

Kai knew it was not his place to stop her; even if it was, he knew that he couldn't and shouldn't do it, just like she knew she couldn't and shouldn't have stopped him when he'd left. Hiromi had to do what she had to do, just like he had to do what he had to do. And she must have trained relentlessly to get to this point, this must be important to her; he couldn't stop her from doing something she cared for. But at the same time, Kai also knew that he couldn't just sit there, an ocean across, helplessly watching what happened and waiting for something to go wrong, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Kai sighed feebly. The past five years he had been in peace. Sure the mental torture was there, the memories of the past haunted him; but it was a good sign. Time didn't heal wounds, it only created new ones much worse, which make you forget about the old ones. He was still suffering because of past mistakes, arguments and decisions; it was good because it meant that nothing new had happened that was bad enough to haunt his mind. And this was what he had wanted when he left; to leave the only thing that was close to him, the only thing that connected him to people he cared for, Beyblading, so that there would be nothing left in his life….if there was nothing there, he could not get hurt.

And now that he'd had to go back, Kai wasn't sure what that'd result into. Would he come back without another word the moment he was sure Hiromi was safe, hurting her and the others all over again in the attempt? Or would he stay, go back to everything he had wanted to leave and try to deal with all the complications that came with it? He really didn't know.

There was a part of him that wanted to be with his friends again, the part that was tired of being haunted by all the prospects of a happy future; one with him being with his friends, having Dranzer and being – if not the best – at least second best; one that he had wanted, but turned down in favor of believing it to be not possible. Yet, going back might mean that he would get hurt all over again. Even if the emptiness that he had been experiencing ever since he came to Russia –due to lack of activity and mortal contact in his life– would disappear, but with re-association with the world of beyblading and people involved with it, he would be making himself again a target of being hurt all over again.

But at the moments he also didn't care much of either of the cases, the main motive was only Hiromi's safety, if that was ensured; the former things didn't really matter. As long as she was alive and fine, him being with her or not didn't hold much of an importance. He'd been surviving like he was for so long; he could do it for the years to come, as long as Hiromi made it out of the battle alive.

Resigning himself to his thoughts, Kai gave up trying to make sense of them for the night. Making his way to the computer, he began to search for tournament details and news, and to book his flight tickets. He was going back, no matter what the reasons were or what the consequence might be.

Kai couldn't deny the slight happiness he felt in ages, a tiny spark of hope in his chest, despite knowing the graveness of the situation. He was scared, but he couldn't help but feel reassured that somehow everything would turn out to be fine, in some ways it always did.

* * *

><p>Tala sat in the living room of his house, he was watching for the first time in a long while, the finals of the Beyblading Word Championships. He too had quit competing, even stopped watching tournaments on television. But get caught up with the news he still did; and when the news of Hiromi being the blader whom Brooklyn would be defending his title against came to his ears, there was no way he could not, <em>not<em> watch this battle.

He had called Kai to inform him of this news, but Voltaire- he was the one who had unfortunately picked up the phone- had informed him that his friend was in Japan and was not available to talk to him. Tala couldn't have hoped for anything better; Kai had gone back to Japan. Tala was sure, that with his best friend there, there was no reason to worry about something terrible happening. Kai would definitely handle it, and even if he couldn't, at least he wouldn't be spending the rest of his life beating himself up for it, thinking things would have gone different if he hadn't been an asshole and went to be there for Hiromi.

However, he couldn't deny that he was scared – for the sake of his friend and about the outcome of this battle. There were only three things that could happen; the battle would end terribly with something horribly going wrong with Hiromi – like all battles in which opponents made an effort to defeat Brooklyn did. Second being that she would make it out fine and alive and Kai would do the right thing and stay with her and his friends, be happy and, let them be happy. And the third, after she made it out of the dish alive, Kai would leave, hurting his own self and her, all over again.

Though the chances of the second possibility occurring were minimal, Tala was banking on it with all his heart for Kai's sake and Hiromi's and the Bladebreakers.

He stopped dwelling as the tournament broadcast started. Brooklyn was already in the stadium, lying on the bench, Hiromi had not yet arrived. AJ Topper and Brad Best were busy making unintelligible comments that started making his head hurt after the first ten minutes of listening to them.

Just as he was about to mute the television, the camera changed to showing Hiromi walking into the stadium, the crowd started cheering deafeningly as soon as they caught the first glimpse of her. The camera also zoomed into show all of BBA teams which used to blade when the Bladebreakers were world champions. Tala wasn't surprised not to see Kai in the stands; he knew he'd be trying to keep out of public eye.

When the cheering toned down a bit, Brooklyn got up and walked to the dish, a smirk plastered across his face.

"So, it is the Bladebreakers' cheerleader," said Brooklyn, loudly to the cheering crowd, "who I'm defending my title against? Might as well hand me the trophy right now!"

Hiromi didn't reply, but just made her way to the dish; the ten minutes between Brooklyn's first comment and the battle starting went filled with gibberish being spoken by the two commentators and whatever the two bladers were talking about in the dish was obviously completely unheard by the spectators and of course those who were viewing on different media as well.

When the battle started, things started to look bad for Hiromi almost instantly. Two hours into the battle, and Brooklyn was completely fine; he didn't even have a single scratch on him. Hiromi, however, was badly injured and bruised. Her clothes were torn and her body was cut and bleeding from some parts; she kept swaying on her feet continuously. Brooklyn was not holding Zeus back, and the dark bit beast's power was over-powering hers…

Tala didn't how she was surviving till now, it seemed impossible; without a bit beast her body was supposed to be taking all the damage from Zeus's attack. How was it that she was still standing on her feet? How was it that she was still _alive_?

The whole crowd was cheering as loudly as before; they hadn't witnessed such an exciting battle since BEGA. This was all a game to them, but Hiromi's friends – from the looks on their faces –wanted to put an end to this battle at once. And like Tala they were extremely worried about their friend's safety and were almost on the edge of their seats in fear and anticipation. However, as much as they wanted to, they couldn't stop this battle, from raging…

A few more hours into the battle led to Brooklyn standing on his side of the dish completely unscathed, a serene smile on his lips; the calmness he must have felt was evident on his face. Hiromi on the other hand had completely disappeared in the whirlpool of darkness without leaving a single trace behind her, there was no clue of the spinning of her blade or the pulsing of her heart beat.

The only thing Tala could hope for at that moment –the one thing that he'd hoped for when he found out Kai was in the love with the girl whose survival chances seemed minimal now– a miracle. Just like the one that saved Kai; that was the only thing that could help her….

* * *

><p>Kai shot up in bed, all covered in sweat and panting hard. He could feel his heart beat as he tried to think over the dream he'd just had. Fear engulfed him, but for the first time in many years, it was not for his own self. He knew what was going on and what will happen if it didn't stop, and that was what scared him. Hiromi was going to end up like him….even worse. And he didn't know what he could do about it.<p>

Kai quickly grabbed the remote and switched on the television. Glancing at the screen, he saw Brooklyn giving his signature smirk, as smoke and a cycle of darkness covered the entire beydish. His eyes widened, as he heard AJ Topper's comment.

"Things look bad for Hiromi, people," he shouted in a tense voice, "She might not make it through this battle."

The words echoed through Kai's minds for a few seconds, before he could actually comprehend the criticalness behind them. Hiromi was in deep water, she was probably going to die from how much she must be getting physically and mentally injured by Zeus's attack's particularly when she had no bit beast to take the damage.

He immediately threw of the covers that were sprawled over him, and got up from the bed. Grabbing his scarf, which was hanging on the back of a chair, he quickly made his way out of his suite. He had decided to stay in a hotel, very close- ten minutes run close - to the BBA stadium.

Instead of taking the elevator, the former blader took the staircase, skipping two steps at a time, and quickly making his way to ground level of the hotel. He hadn't been able to look at the time before, but now that he stepped out of the hotel, he could tell from the sky that it was early evening, the sun was near setting; he found it hard to believe it, the battle had started in the afternoon, how could it have been going on for so long.

Taking a car would be useless, the traffic would only slow him down; instead Kai began running towards the stadium building. Cutting through shortcuts and skidding around corners, he finally reached the stadium in much less than ten minutes. He dashed his way through the gates and sprinted across the ground. An awful feeling pressed against his chest as he finally entered the building and made his way through the numerous corridors to the open air stadium.

He entered the open ground through the corridor to see the cheering of the crowd had nearly died out; gasps and low whispering could be more prominently heard. The former Bladebreakers were near the beydish, scared and anxious for the safety of their friend who was hurling somewhere in the whirlpool of darkness.

Kai's hands trembled as he made his way forward; the dark energy being radiated by Zeus was reminding him of his battle with Brooklyn, the excruciating pain he had felt as darkness had enveloped his mind and all he could wish was for death to provide release. He tried to calm his nerves, reminding himself that he had survived. His mind came back to the situation at hand; Hiromi was there stuck in the vortex of darkness, Zeus's attack wreaking havoc in her mind.

Kai dashed his way over to the closest point near the dish where the Bladebreakers were standing. He made his way to the main battle area which was barricaded by a silver fence to stop people from interfering from the battle; the harsh wind lashed against his face as he gripped the metal rod tightly and looked – panicked eyed – at the pandemonium unfolding in front of him.

The Bladebreakers were shocked to see Kai there; they could hardly believe their eyes. They didn't think that anything would be able to convince their former captain to leave Russia.

"Kai?" The name slipped out unintentionally from Max's mouth.

The addressed man turned his head to see his old blond-haired friend looking at him with shocked eyes.

"Tyson informed me, there was no way I could stay back there," was all he could say – all he had to say- to explain his sudden appearance to his former friends.

Even in the dire situation, seeing Kai there couldn't help but make Tyson feel glad. He'd been disappointed, beyond all believes, by his captain's indifference towards Hiromi being in so much danger…Hiromi, someone whom he had cared about so much at one time. It pleased him to realize that all that he had heard on the phone was just another one of Kai's well played façades and that Hiromi's well being did concern him.

"How long has it been since she disappeared?" said Kai in splintered voice.

Ray was the one to speak up. "It's been at least half an hour."

Kai nodded and his face grew more solemn, his eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes were blood shot and his hands were gripping the railing so tightly that his veins were noticeable.

The wind whipped against each face and darkness blocked the view of the entire beydish. It seemed as if there was nothing, anyone – not even Kai – could do. The last battle like this was when Kai had fought against Brooklyn; it had been Kai's will. And – like Tala – he hoped for a miracle, a miracle called Dranzer, one that had saved him, to save Hiromi as well. Kai had not mourned for Dranzer, sure the lost of his guardian phoenix had caused him immense pain, it had been what kept him going for so long, and when it was destroyed Kai had gotten completely vulnerable and defenseless. For the first time since he lost Dranzer, he actually wish he hadn't, he wished that the phoenix was there so that it could protect Hiromi.

Several minutes passed with the entire team standing helplessly watching the battle rage, with no signs of either Hiromi or her blade. Then abruptly the sound of a loud crack was heard and Hiromi's platform –on which she was supposed to be standing– cracked and fell into the dish with a deafening loud noise, the broken shards and dust was the only thing that could be seen that identified the wreckage that had happened, it was only the sounds which identified the demolition that had taken place.

There were howls of screams from the Bladebreakers, they gazed wide eye at the beydish; still no sign of Hiromi. They didn't know what was going on inside that vortex but Kai knew what Hiromi must be experiencing and fear for her sake was clutching at his heart. What if she was on, or under that platform when it fell? There would be no chance of survival, she' be crushed under the piles of debris.

The hair of Kai's hands and neck was standing up on its edges; fear and despair gripped at his heart and his eyes were beginning to burn with tears. He felt just as helpless as he did when he was in that vortex, four years ago.

The crowd was deathly silent, there was no more cheering going on; people were watching with alarmed eyes waiting for an outcome. Mr. Dickenson watched in revulsion from the glass walls of his office, knowing there was nothing he could do.

"Maybe we should get Mr. Dickenson to get Brooklyn to pull back…?" Daichi trailed off, his voice sounding devastated.

A sharp pain rose in Kai's throat as he said, "No," in a cracked yet fierce voice. "She would not want us to."

No one bothered to argue with the captain's words. Regret vexed Kai's thoughts as he stood there, helpless in each way; if he had stayed and not left, maybe – most certainly – Hiromi would never have felt the need to battle Brooklyn.

A little more while into the battle, the darkness seemed to vanish, hope swelled in Kai's chest, but it deflated just as quick as Brooklyn, in fear that Hiromi might come back, still able to battle, yelled, "King of Darkness!" once more.

The crowd howled and Hiromi's friends screamed in fear.

"No!" roared Kai as he tried to get over the barrier, someone held him by the back of his jacket and pulled him, but he didn't care enough to notice who; if he couldn't save Hiromi, at least he would make Brooklyn pay for his vindictiveness. After a few moments of struggle on Kai's part to escape from the grasp of whoever held him back, he came back to some of his senses.

It was like he was living the nightmare of his battle with Brooklyn and Zeus all over again, like the first few days after he had gotten out of the hospital after his battle, when he stayed at the dojo, but this time there was no Hiromi to wake him up and whisper words of comfort to calm him down, on the contrary she was suffering the reality which caused his nightmares.

The knuckles of his hands whitened as his grip on the railing tightened, his face was screwed up as he closed his eyes and focused on the inside of the vortex, the place where he was when he was the one being attacked. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could see Hiromi spinning, like a rag doll in the heart of the tornado, blinded by the darkness, the harsh wind chocking her lungs, mentally being haunted by her greatest fears, letting out a helpless hand, that clearly no one would be able to reach, in futile hope of someone pulling her out of the abyss. Tears were leaking from Hiromi's eyes, her eyes shut in pain, concentrating all her remaining energy to extend her hand forward, to somehow find a way to get out of the void of darkness and haunting fears; her mouth slightly parted showing that she was trying hard to keep her ragged breaths going.

Kai's face was contorted with pain as the images of Hilary whipped through his mind; he could sense that she was alive, that whatever he was seeing in his mind was going on in reality to the girl hurtling through the vortex, and that she was bearing more than he had because she had no bit beast to take the blows for her.

Kai gripped the railing tighter, eyes still closed hoping that some how he he'd be able to reach her, knowing very much that it was impossible. Even though he could sense what was going on with her, he was still physically present outside the beydish, Hiromi far out of his mortal reach.

A few minutes into helplessly watching Hiromi being plunge through the empty void of her deepest fears with eyes blindingly closed due to the superseding darkness.

In a moment that might take someone to blink, Kai saw the darkness being illuminated by the bright red color of her eyes: she had opened her eyes, she began looking around at her surroundings wide eyed, terror tearing through her wild face, her body started growing as bright as her eyes…. Kai suppressed a scream at the back of his throat as he saw Hiromi's body being completely engulfed with flames leaving no trace of her being, the blazes of the fire that enveloped her lighting the dark vortex and sucking the darkness that surrounded Hiromi.

The flames had completely obscured her body, growing faster and faster illuminating the vortex sculpted with darkness and its victim's fears. They grew so brilliantly intense that they hurt Kai's eyes, and involuntarily his eyes snapped open. He was back into his own surrounding, he blinked, but before he could register what was going on, their was an eruption of flames like a volcano exploding and he – along with the other Bladebreakers – was thrown back a few feet. He landed on the on the floor against his elbows, the other Bladebreakers on the ground beside him.

Kai's face fell from shock when he saw that Brooklyn – across the enormous beydish – too had been knocked from his feet. He lay on the floor, watched wide-eyed as his bit beast completely disappeared in the vortex of fire. Getting back on his feet, he called out for Zeus but there was no response. The whipping flames grew more and more, scorching his skin and tearing his clothes, and he had to move backwards because every time that he tried to get close, the flames got unbearable.

The entire beydish, which was previously engulfed with the tornado of darkness, was covered with untamed flames that seemed to be rising higher and higher up into the sky. There was still no trace of Hiromi, though but Kai could feel the warmth of the fire enveloping him; the pain, anxiety and fear being drained away from his heart; it seemed to give him courage, resolve, hope…. Dranzer…. He recognized this sensation, it was one he had longed for, but hadn't felt in a long time, and at that moment all he could wish for was this to be the miracle he hoped for it to be….not for his sake, but Hiromi's, because Dranzer was what had saved him, and Dranzer was the only one who could save Hiromi….

Kai – still on the floor – could feel the warmth enveloping him grow stronger and stronger, then all of a sudden there was an eagle-like cry which made the whole stadium gasp out loud; Kai stared open-mouthed as the flames spun three-sixty degrees, faster and faster until it rose from the bey dish – which due to brightness of the flame still didn't become visible – higher and higher until it was quite high in the sky, another loud cry and the flames slowly took the form of a phoenix that Kai, despite his eyes burning from the flames, immediately recognized to be none other than….

"Dranzer!" Kai whispered in a low voice.

The rest of the Bladebreakers didn't turn to look at Kai, but they too had realized that it was the same holy beast that they'd seen all those years ago, dominating Brooklyn and winning the battle with Kai. But instead of hovering in the air above Kai and waiting for his command, the mighty phoenix was drifting above Hiromi, who – as the flames molded into the shape of Dranzer, and ceased engulfing the beydish – finally had became visible to the eyes of the apprehensive crowd.

"No way," Tyson was awestruck as he stared at Hiromi's torn and tattered, but very much living, figure.

As more and more people began catching sight of Hiromi, the roars of the crowd returned and started growing louder and louder until the whole stadium was in the same uproar at the start of the battle. Brooklyn, no longer unscathed glared at Hiromi, who was trying to adjust to her surroundings – and being back on her own two feet, though she was inside the dish instead of on the platform – which was scattered around in pieces near her.

Brooklyn was beginning to lose his calm for the first time since his match with Kai. He muttered to Zeus to launch at Hiromi one attack after another. Hiromi –being there fine and unaffected– was more than his mind could take and he was back on his knees, even when there were no violent flames pushing him down.

The two blades were still spinning and violently clashing against each other inside the completely demolished stadium, after all the hits it took Hiromi's blade, now after Zeus's encounter with the flames, seemed to be in worse conditions than hers. The two bit beasts were two battling in the firmaments above, the eyes of most of the spectators directed towards them.

Hiromi had finally gotten accustomed to her surroundings; she had realized what had happened even before she saw Dranzer floating above her blade. She had been going crazy inside the vortex, the darkness seemed to be clawing at her very insides and the emptiness in her mind, filled with only memories that ripped through her heart, made her wish for an end, she was helplessly reaching out for someone – anyone to grab onto. For a second she thought she had seen Kai's figure at the eye of the vortex looking down at her, reaching for her, but before her mind could dwell on it, flames engulfed her entire being and the second she realized that they weren't burning her–but providing warmth– she knew she was safe, she knew that this could only be… Dranzer…

The second Hiromi recalled the events that had gone on when she was inside Zeus's vortex, her mind drifted to Kai; and her head whipped so fast that she almost got whiplash. There he stood, as close to the dish as was possible, looking exactly as he had the day he left her at the driveway of the dojo, four years ago – except that this time, his eyes were wild with fear for her safety.

His sight brought back Hiromi's resolve; this was for every individual who had been hurt by Brooklyn, this was for her friends, this was for Kai, to prove to Brooklyn that the spirit of friendship and blading was more powerful than his vicious use of his natural talent, this was the only chance she had to set things right, there was no way she could lose!

_This is not just a game to me!_ Kai's words echoed once more through the caverns of her mind as she called out to Dranzer, "Blazing Gig Tempest! Dranzer, finish him off!" for the first time in her life.

The phoenix didn't waste a second in obeying the command of a human who clearly was not its master, and giving a mighty cry, it launched itself at Zeus and a psychotic Brooklyn who was on the brink of losing his mind with how the battle had suddenly got out of his control. Hiromi's body – like when Kai saw her in his mind – became enveloped with flames again– though this time her figure was visible as the flames only bordered the edges of her body– as Dranzer attacked Zeus the entire beydish erupted in flames, resulting in both Hiromi and Brooklyn disappearing from view.

Kai watched in awe at the burning beydish echoing with Dranzer's cries; he could sense that Hiromi and Dranzer were both alive, he had known the flames of Dranzer since he was a child, he knew the cry of the phoenix; these were not the flames of cremation or the cry of lament….Hiromi would be just fine.

He watched as the flames died out with a final cry from Dranzer. The bit beast made it's way inside the blade; the smoke and the remnant flames died out to reveal Brooklyn on his knees on his platform, badly injured, head in his hands and Hiromi standing on her feet inside the dish, her blade spinning around the Zeus blade which had splintered into just as many pieces as Kai's Dranzer had after his battle.

The crowd and the former Bladebreakers stared open-mouthed and wide eyed at the spectacle in front of them. There was a deathly silence which was broken by none other than DJ Jazzman's voice:

"The winner of this match and your _new _world champion is Hiromi Tachibana, from the Bladebreakers!"

The silence went on for a few seconds as the everyone registered what happened; the crowd then erupted into the loudest cheers yet as AJ Topper and Brad Best started doing commentary again, which they had – in the heat and criticalness of the battle – had forgotten to do.

The Bladebreakers – all, but Kai – were cheering too, they had gotten up from their feet and were rushing towards the beydish to meet up with Hiromi; Kai was still rooted to the spot, the weight of the events of the evening finally clashing down on them, a grin was spread across his face; Hiromi was fine, that was one thing that was crystal clear in his mind and wasn't going to leave his mind anytime soon.

Hiromi picked up her blade from the centre of the stadium, pocketed it and, grinning, she started getting out of the rubble that surrounded her. Kai came back to reality when he saw Hiromi make her way out of the beydish and immediately sprinted forward to make his way towards her, being the first person to greet her. Like the time she asked him to dance with her, she took his hand in her own. He was the person she'd wanted to see for the past four years, the person for whom she did all this.

Kai stared at her, trying to feed it in his mind the fact that she was fine; Hiromi was looking down, not willing to meet his eyes. Before either of them could say anything, Hiromi withdrew a hand and took out her blade from het pocket.

"Dranzer V2, your old blade." These were the words that came out of her mouth as she put the blade in Kai's hands. "You gave it to me to practice with before you left the team, after you found me using Dranzer. I tried to use new blades, but I never could work with them right."

The two of them were oblivious to the cheering crowd, which was now cheering more on the two of them instead of her victory.

"Hiromi," Kai began, looking straight into her eyes, damn, he missed those eyes. "Keep it, Dranzer came back to you, you deserve it."

Hiromi smiled. "Dranzer came back because you really wanted it to, I'm glad you did, otherwise I'd probably have died out there."

Kai hissed when he heard Hiromi's harsh, but realistic words. Kai's arms had slipped out of her hands and around her waist and he was holding her not quite as much close as he did when they danced, but still at quite proximity.

"You'll be going back now?" Hiromi demanded drawing in a sharp breath.

The thoughts that had been plaguing his mind before he left Russia came to his mind once more, but as soon as he looked at Hiromi's face all the doubts became clear.  
>"I'm not leaving, never!" Kai's voice stern and his eyes gave away the earnestness behind them. "You have no idea, how much I missed you."<p>

"Trust me," Hiromi choked out. "I probably had it worse than you did; I was the one who was left behind."

"Hiromi," Kai pressed on her name, "I am so sorry."

"I understand, I told you when you left that I was fine with it. I am just glad you're back."

And with those last words Hiromi tackled Kai with a hug that caught Kai, so off-guard that he probably would have landed on the floor, if he hadn't steadied himself and Hiromi on time. Hiromi, smiling, looked up to face Kai who had a mischievous smirk on his face, he dipped down and kissed her, making her go wide-eyed for a the first few seconds, before she got what happened and wrapped her hands around Kai's neck.

The crowd's cheers got louder than before and it seemed as if the whole stadium was screaming at the very tops of its lungs. Wolf whistles could be heard from Tyson and Ray standing near by, Enrique and Eddy in the stadium and Brad Best in the commentators stands.

Kai pulled back after a few minutes a blush tainting his face to look down to see and equally flushed Hiromi.

"I love you," he panted, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I can tell, and don't worry, I love you too," Hiromi grinned, the tiredness from the battle had no way caught up with her, she was too ecstatic to care for her injuries.

Kai smiled and drew forward to kiss her on the forehead. "You have no idea how worried you got me."

Hiromi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

The two of them turned their faces at the sound of a protesting, "Hello!" from Tyson.

"We're alive too, you know!" Daichi snickered waving at the new couple.

Hiromi turned back to face Kai, they shared a smile and then Kai let got of Hilary. She made her way towards their old team, who congratulated her, cheered for her, and –in Tyson's case– made crude comments towards her and Kai.

There was a part of Kai that wanted to run away, to save these people by leaving, but he recalled something that the girl –who had just turned around from the Bladebreakers to give him a significant smile, which he earnestly returned – had said to him many years ago, _'Stop acting like your own judge and jury, let fate handle things, you'll get what you deserve good, or bad, stop trying to punish yourself for everything you think you've done, be it right or wrong.'_

He was glad that he had finally realized that she was right; the years of distances had given him more sense, more time to think about things. He had his reasons to stay, Hiromi, his other friends were the reason to stay, their memories were what had kept him going, and he didn't want to survive on memories anymore.

Kai broke off from his thoughts when he heard Tyson yelp. From the way Tyson was pleading, apparently, he had made some snide, playful comment that had made Hiromi's good mood to go down the tanks. She looked ready to explode

"Let me at 'im! Let me at 'im!" Hiromi growled, about to lunge at Tyson, but Kai gripped her from behind. She squirmed, and snarled, "Let me go, Kai, no jury in the world would convict me."

If this was all Tyson had to say to her after everything she had been through, she was going to hurt him so bad he wasn't going to live to tell the tale.

The Bladebreakers and the other teams snickered at Hiromi's predictable behavior.

_Just like old times… _Everyone thought.

Tyson just stuck his tongue out at her and smirked. Kai too, let out a chuckle, but didn't loosen his grip on Hiromi. He wouldn't want her to get into trouble with the BBA authorities for trying to murder Tyson_ _again!_

Kai didn't think he had ever been this happy; he had Dranzer back, he was back with his friends, with Hiromi, and most of all he finally knew that she was safe…. The anguish and monotony of the past four years all of a sudden seemed like some distant, hazy dream, quickly slipping out of his mind as he made no attempts to hold on to it.

Life was finally going on easy on him and things couldn't go better than this…

* * *

><p><strong>Sitting in an empty room trying to forget the past... this was never meant to last,I wish it wasn't so... Oh! I know what it takes to move on,I know how it feels to lie,All I wanna doIs trade this life for something new, holding on to what I haven't got! O_o<strong>

***unimpressed cricket chirping* Hehe, eh, 1 week, I said one week, hehe, and it's been, uh, ten months and one week, since that one week passed. Oh boy. See, what happened was that, that week passed with me writing _Final Thoughts _and Chapter 6 of _Runaway Hiromi:_ the week after that my laptop got busted; and then school started *hangs head*and we all know what then happened, I didn't have much time to breathe much less write this. In winter break, I had too much going on to write this chapter, since it required too much time, concentration and****inspiration and peace of mind, so I stuck to one shots and drabbles. Now after summer vacation started, April I wanted to try something new. Wrote a bit of this in May's start, then got busy with college admissions, then wrote more than half of it in the past two days. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: Like I said beforeI do not own 'Beyblade', if I did, I wouldn't have killed my fingers typing this more than10,000 word chapter. I would have a staff working for me which would be hanging on my every word and then would be publishing into manga editions. I don't own Linkin Park either who's song 'The Little Things Give You Away' this entire fic has been **inspired by, and also **named after, and who's song 'Shadow of the Day' the last chapter had been inspired by and named after and who's song 'Waiting for the End' this chapter has been named after and inspired by****. Neither do I own Tell her This by Del Amitri, which was used in the dance scene.**

_**Dead-bY-n0w tyhiltwilover Kiray Himawari Arisa Kamashiro sky d, cOOlzanimeaDDict, SeleneAtar, Someone2003, Moonlight Serenity **_**and**_**Miss. Iqbal/ Inspired-by-Iqbal **_**for reviewing. Thank you to all those who read, faved and alerte-d this fic. Soooooooooo sorry to everyone for the long wait. :(****  
><strong>

**Please review. :)**

**I wrote the first scene listening to Breathe by Taylor Swift, switched to Tell her this by Del Amitri while writing the dance scene. ^^ Listened to I'm Not Afraid by Eminem and Planetary (Go), for a while, these were the songs I listened to while writing the first chapter, but this time after a while, I started getting a head ache, probably cause I wrote this in _3 days_, wrote the 1st chapter in _3 week_s. O_o  
>The rest of it I wrote listening to a thunder storm on rainymood. com, lol, that's what inspired the raining outside the coffee shop. :P ^^<strong>

**Well, I hope this was well worth the wait. I worked really hard on this, so I hope everyone enjoyed it. :P Thank you to Dead-by-n0w for beta-ing this on such short - 2 day - notice and on the 1st weekend after papers. *sheepish grin* She deleted 1000 words of extra crap. O_o Sorry for getting on your nerves so much. :P I hope my _mela _of, ahem, nouns and pronouns, wasn't as bad as the other junk you had to beta.**

**R and R, please...**

**11:00 p.m. 29th May, 2012.**


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